- 223
Paula Rego
Description
- Paula Rego
- Untitled No. 9
- pastel on paper mounted on aluminium
- 110 by 100 cm. 43 3/8 by 39 3/8 in.
- Executed in 1998-99.
Provenance
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The subject of the matronly woman alone in her surroundings is a common motif for Rego. In the present work, a woman is seemingly engaged in domestic chores; she stares ahead as though lost in a moment of thoughtful contemplation amidst her endeavours. The room she occupies is sparsely furnished allowing the viewer to focus their attention on the subject and Rego’s mastery of composition. The work itself is given its power when we learn that the series of Untitled works that Rego created in 1998-9 depict “a variety of women, from schoolgirl to society lady, either preparing for an abortion or coping with its aftermath.” (F. Bradley, Paula Rego, London 2002, p. 93). This particular series of works was created by Rego in response to a referendum on abortion that took place in her native Portugal on 28 June 1998. At the time, Portugal had antiquated laws on the issue and a more liberal approach was set to go ahead before the referendum blocked the change. Rego was furious at this and created an unsettling series of works in response, works which dramatise the politics of the act in a typically visceral and starkly uncompromising realist style.
Rego’s absolute mastery of the expressive possibilities using the oil pastel medium is demonstrated in Untitled No. 9 by the small details which stand out: the vibrant blue tassels on the towel at the bottom right of the composition, or the magnificent detailing on the figures hand, showing the knuckles and veins protruding through the flesh. Evocative of the attenuated muscularity of the figure paintings from the Spanish Baroque, and the gritty realism of artists such as Courbet and Millet, Untitled No. 9 displays Rego’s relish for the medium, placing her firmly at the forefront of contemporary figurative painting.